Locomotive tiees



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

N. H. BROWN.

PURNAGE FOB, EXPANDING LOCOMOTIVE TIRES.

Patented Jan. 11, 1887.,

n PETERS, Pbawtiufio m lwr. Washington. D. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' N. H. BROWN.

FURNACE FOB EXPANDING LOGOMOTIVE TIRES.

No. 355,859. Patented Jan. 11, 1887.

N FHHNWNMMWNNK 'NNNNHWNHWNWNW (No Model.) 1 a Sheets-Sheet 3. N. H. BROWN.

FURNACE FOR EXPANDING-LOGOMOTIVE TIRES.

WITNESSES:

IN VBNTOR 14/14 1M4 ATTORNEYS UNITED Srarns PATENT @rrrca NELSON H. BROW'N, OF SYRACUSE, NEWV YORK.

FURNACE FOR EXPANDING LOCOMOTlVE=TlRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,859, dated January 11, 1887.

Application filed June 28, 1886. Serial No. 206,488. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NELSON H. BROWN, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Furnaces for Expanding Locomotive-Tires for Removing or Setting the Same, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of this invention is to heat and thus expand locomotivetires preparatory to removing them from the wheels or setting said tires; and the invention consists in a novel construction of a furnace by means of which locomotive-tires can be heated and expanded as aforesaid in the most convenient, expeditious, and inexpensive manner.

The invention is fully illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tire-expanding furnace embodying my improvements, shown with its doors opened and with a portion of the fire-box broken away to illustrate the internal construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the furnace with its doors closed. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line x 1', Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is the same sectional View, showing the wheel and tire attached thereto inclosed in the furnace for expanding the tire preparatory to removing the same from the wheel. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of thefurnace in its closed position and with the wheel in posi tion for expanding the tire attached to said wheel, and Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

0 represents as'tout metallic case securedin an upright position and composed of an annular back plate, A, formed with an annular central opening, 0, and with circumferential flanges a a, projecting from the two annular edges of the said back plate toward the front. The flange a around the opening 0 is narrower than the outer flange, a, the difference of their widths being equal to the width of a locomotive-tire. The outer flange, a, is provided with an opening, b, at the top, and from said opening is extended the exit-flue, P, which is inclined rearward therefrom, for thepurpose hereinafter explained, and communicates with a suitable stack 'or chimney. The bottom portion of the flange a is provided with an opening, 0, for the inlet of fire or the necessary heat into the case 0, for heating the tire to be expanded.

The interior of the case 0, I line with firebrick or other suitable refractory material, as indicated by the reference-letter I in the drawings, said lining being placed against the back plate, A, and flanges a a, and formed with an annular rabbe-t or recess, It, at the front, which recess reaches to the opening 0 and to the front edge of the flange a; and its depth is therefore equal to the width of a locomotive-tire.

The circumference of the recess R is greater than that of alocomotive-tire, and thus when the tire is placed concentrically in said recess an annular passage or flue, f, is formed around the tread or external circumference of the tire, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, where the dotted lines 25 t indicate the position of the tire. r x

From the top and bottom of the recess R and through the lining L are extended openings coinciding with the openings b and c in the case 0, and thus the recess has a fire-inlet at one point of the external circumference thereof, and an exit-flue extending from the recess at a point diametrically opposite the fire-inlet.

The back plate, A, and adjacent lining L are provided with two or more holes, h, near the top and at different elevations, and into one of said holes is inserted a pin, 1), which projects into the recess R sufficiently to permit of hanging the tire thereon, as represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

By moving the pin p from one hole h to another it can be adjusted in its position so as to support tires of different diameters concentrically in the recess R.

On the front of the case 0 is a door, D, of similar annular shape, having a central opening, 0, corresponding to the opening 0 of the case. This door is divided vertically through the center and constructed of two semi-annular metallic plates, formed with circumferential flanges d d, respectively, around the central opening and around the outer periphery. Said flanges are of equal widths, and thus when the door is closed the outer circum- ICO ferential flange thereof abuts against the front edge of the outer flange, a, of the case 0, while the inner or smaller circumferential flange, d, around the opening 0 of the door stands clear from the flange a of the case. The door proj ecting over the recess R forms the front wall of said recess, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The two sections of the door are hinged to stout cars a n on the exterior of the case 0, and in such positions as to allow said doorsections to swing freely in a vertical position and with their free edges toward and from each other, and when closed their free edges meet in a vertical line central across the front of the case.

To the inner side of the door I apply a firebrick or other refractory lining, -L, which covers the door flush with the flanges d (1 thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. of the drawings.

The recess R of the case 0 is to communicate at its base with a suitable heating agent, which may be either the flame of natural gas or the flame from solid fuel.

The annexed. drawings show the apparatus arranged for the latter heating agent, which consists of a firebox, F, constructed of a stout metal frame or shell, upon which the case 0 is mounted and rigidly secured, said fire-box being lined with brick and communicating at its top with the bottom opening or inlet, 0, of the case G. The interior of the fire-box is provided with a fire-grate, g, and a suitable feed door or chute, i, is provided in the side of the fire-box, and under the grate is a blowpipe, m, projecting through the base of the fire-box and connected with asuitable blower, which latter may be of any suitable and wellknown species, and is therefore not necessary to be here shown.

Across the fire-inlet c of the case 0, I arrange an adjustable deflector, u, of the form of afire-prooftile, reaching partway the length of the said inlet and supported movable toward opposite sides from the vertical central line of the case, so that by shifting said deflector sidewise the current of the fire entering through the inlet 0 can be regulated, so as to properly divide said current and uniformly distribute the fire in the recess R of the case; or, if necessary, deflectors of different sizes may be employed to accomplish the aforesaid result.

The operation of my invention is as follows: To heat a tire on the wheel preparatory to removing said tire, I hitch the connecting-chains of a crane onto the axle of the wheel, as repsented in Fig. f the drawings, and by means of said crane (not shown in the drawings) I raise the axle with its Wheels until the axle is horizontally in line with the center of the opening 0 of the case 0, and then I swing one wheel into the recess R, and after it is properly adjusted in its position therein and while supporting it by the crane, I close the door D,

outer periphery of the tireinclosed in the case,

said tire constituting the inner peripheral walls of the flue f. The abutment of the edges of the tire against opposite sides of the recess R confines the fire to the outer periphery of the tire, and the central openings, 0 O, of the case and its door communicating with the recess R allows the cold air to come in contact with the wheel back of the tire, and thus keeps the wheel cool while the tire is heated and expanded. So soon as this is eifected I open the door D, and then swing the crane away from the case 0 sufficiently to permit of reversing the axle end for end, and then introduce the other wheel in the recess R and subject the tire thereof to the requisite heat in the same manner as that of the first wheel. After both tires are thus heated and expanded, they are easily knocked off from the wheels while the latter are suspended from the crane.

Tires to be expanded preparatory to applying them to the wheel are introduced into the case 0 by means of a suitable hook on the crane adapted to take hold of the inner side of the upper portion of the tire, by means of which hook the tire is pushedinto proper position over the pin 19, to allow it to be lowered onto the same and become supported thereon, the hook being then removed and the door D closed. After the tire has been heated and expanded to the desired degree the door Dis opened and the crane, with its hook, swung toward the case, and then the tire is lifted from the pin 1) by means of the hook of the crane, and the crane is turned to swing the tire outof the case 0. The tire being suspended in a vertical position, greatly facilitates its application to the wheel.

It will be observed that the central openings,

the case 0 is necessary to prevent obstructions to'the movement of the crane in swinging the wheel or tire into the case.

Having described myinvention, what I claim 1s-- p l. The within-described locomotive-tire-expanding furnace, consisting of the case 0, formed with the central opening, 0, and annular recess It, extending to said opening and provided with a fire-inlet and fire-outlet, and the door D, provided with the central opening, 0, and closing the front of the aforesaid recess, the front and back of the recess It being made to abut against opposite edges of the inclosed tire and the latter constituting the inner peripheral wall of the annular fluef, substantially as described and shown.

2. The within-described furnace for expanding locomotive-tires, comprising the fire-box F, the case 0, mounted on said fire-box, composed of the metallic back plate, A, formed with a central opening, 0, and with the circumferential flange a a, and provided with the top opening, d, and the bottom opening, 0, over thefirebox, the metallic door D, formed with the central opening, 0, and with the circumferential flange d d, and divided vertically through the center and hinged to the front edge of the flange a, the fire-brick liningI, placed against the back plate, A, and flanges a a, and formed NELSON H. BROWN. [L. s]

Witnesses:

FREDERICK H. GIBBs, MATTHEW J. DOLPHIN. 

